memeorandum: WBUR Poll: Brown Would Be In Strong Position For Special Election (Fred Thys/WBUR)

10:40 AM ET, December 20, 2012

Top Items:

CNN:

CNN Poll: Are GOP policies too extreme? — Washington (CNN) - Just over half the public says that the GOP should give up more than the Democrats in any bipartisan solution to the country's problems, according to a new national survey. — And a CNN/ORC International poll also indicates …

Discussion: The Plum Line, Business Insider, Post Politics, The Hill, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, Politico, The Hill and Towleroad News #gay

CNN:

House set to vote on Boehner's Plan B — Washington (CNN) — The House is set to vote Thursday on Plan B, a GOP version of an agreement on the fiscal cliff, and another measure designed to lure support for the plan from hard-line Republicans. — The White House threatened Wednesday to veto that plan …

Discussion: The Agonist, Freedom's Lighthouse and Politico

Politico:

Fiscal cliff: The lowest point — President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner opened their negotiations last month by pledging to work constructively to avert the fiscal cliff. — But on Wednesday, the two men at the center of the talks traded blame, not counteroffers.

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Washington Post:
‘Cliff’ standoff: Boehner works to wrangle votes for ‘Plan B’; Obama threatens veto

Discussion: Firedoglake, msnbc.com, Hot Air, Jared Bernstein, The Hill, Campaign for America's …, Wall Street Journal, Post Politics, The Daily Caller and Americans for Tax Reform RSS

Bryan Preston / The PJ Tatler:
Disgraceful: Obama Invokes Newtown Massacre to Pressure Republicans to Go Along with His Tax Hikes

Discussion: protein wisdom, American Spectator and Chicago Boyz

Brian Beutler / Talking Points Memo:
Did Boehner Just Pull The Plug On Fiscal Cliff Negotiations?

Discussion: The Plum Line, The Democratic Daily, Daily Kos, The Impolitic, Paul Krugman, Hullabaloo, Crooks and Liars and The Daily Dish

New York Times:
Obama and Boehner Split on Fiscal Plan

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Caucus, 2chambers, First Read, Business Insider and Slate

Politico:
Obama, Boehner duel on fiscal cliff

Discussion: Firedoglake, National Review, Talking Points Memo, Quartz, CNN, Business Insider and Outside the Beltway

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
House Republicans Again Show Why We Need to Wait Until January for a Deal

Discussion: The Democratic Daily and Hot Air

Ted Barrett / CNN:
FIRST ON CNN: Sen. Mikulski to chair Appropriations Committee, becoming first woman to hold the post

Discussion: Politico and Booman Tribune

Fred Thys / WBUR:

WBUR Poll: Brown Would Be In Strong Position For Special Election — BOSTON — A WBUR poll of 500 registered voters (PDFs - topline, crosstabs) finds U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is in a strong position should there be a special election to fill U.S. Sen. John Kerry's seat.

Discussion: Politico, Boston Globe, Hot Air, Ballot Box and National Review

Kevin Robillard / Politico:

Scott Brown backs assault gun ban — Outgoing Mass. Sen Scott Brown has became the first GOP senator to endorse a renewed assault weapons ban. — “What happened in Newtown where those children were subject to that level of violence is beyond my comprehension,” Brown told the Springfield Republican on Wednesday.

Discussion: CNN, New York Times and msnbc.com

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

Fox News Brings On Santa Claus To Discuss The ‘War On Christmas’ — Fox and Friends took its coverage of the so-called “War on Christmas” to the front lines on Thursday morning by inviting Santa Claus to weigh in on America's changing culture and secularization.

Discussion: Gawker, The Raw Story and Towleroad News #gay

John Hinderaker / Power Line:

Miss USA Wins the Crown — Say what you will about Donald Trump, he runs a pretty good pageant. I didn't live-blog tonight's Miss Universe show, but I kept notes as it went along, and so what follows are my impressions as the event unfolded. With a lot of stuff left out …

Discussion: Althouse

NRO Symposium / National Review:

Newtown Answers — Twenty children and six adults are dead. In Nigeria, people put their lives at risk going to church on Sundays. But in New England? The thought that going to school could be a final act is hard for us to comprehend. The seeming senselessness of what happened …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Slate, The Raw Story, Outside the Beltway, Telegraph, Prairie Weather, Feministe, Taylor Marsh, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Daily Kos, Little Green Footballs, Truthdig, Mediaite, Balloon Juice and msnbc.com

jessica valenti: National Review: Newtown could have been avoided if a man was around

Adam Kredo / Washington Free Beacon:

Rejecting Chuck Hagel — Former Republican Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel may no longer be President Obama's favored pick to run the Defense Department, sources told the Free Beacon. — Hagel immediately drew a frosty reception from observers who criticized him for advocating in favor …

Discussion: Foreign Policy, Right Turn, Taylor Marsh, Israel Matzav, BuzzFeed, The Atlantic Online, Hit & Run and Power Line

Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:
More trouble for Hagel — Joining other groups and individuals …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Power Line, Betsy's Page, CANNONFIRE, Politico, Washington Free Beacon, Latitude, Capital J | JTA and Washington Post

Associated Press:
Possible Hagel Pick Raises Concerns in Senate GOP

Discussion: Politico

Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:

Florida Man Invokes ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law After Shooting Fellow Pizza Customer — A Florida man defended his decision to shoot an impatient pizza customer over the weekend, citing the state's infamous “Stand Your Ground” law. — Michael Jock, a 52-year-old resident of St. Petersburg …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Gawker and AMERICAblog

Jeff Poor / The Daily Caller:

Tapper to Obama on newfound gun control advocacy: ‘Where have you been?’ — ABC White House correspondent Jake Tapper asked President Barack Obama Wednesday why the president's plea for action on gun issues has come so late in his first term and only after last week's tragic incident at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.

Discussion: NewsBusters.org and Outside the Beltway

Emily Goodin / The Hill:
Spielberg, Day-Lewis at Capitol for screening of ‘Lincoln’ for senators

Discussion: Politico and CNN

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Obama, Reid slam brakes on gun control

Discussion: The Plum Line, Mediaite, Weekly Standard, The Week, Power Line, Washington Post, Hot Air, American Power and New York Times

Charlie Spiering / Washington Examiner:

Connecticut congressman: Rick Perry a ‘testosterone laden’ individual with blood on his hands … During a press conference on gun control yesterday, Rep. Jim Himes D-Conn. blasted Texas Governor Rick Perry for vocally supporting Second Amendment rights for American citizens after the horrific school shooting in Connecticut.

Discussion: Riehl World News and Jammie Wearing Fools

Zack Colman / The Hill:

Obama: Climate change among top three priorities for second term — President Obama has identified climate change as one of his top three priorities in his second term after coming under fire from environmentalists for giving the issue short shrift during the campaign.

Discussion: Questions and Observations, TIME, Right Wing News, Weasel Zippers, Booman Tribune, Hot Air, The Reaction and Wall Street Journal

Jeffrey Rosen / The New Republic:

We're Still Paying the Price for the Borking of Robert Bork — In the summer of 1987, right out of college, I was a summer intern for Senator Joe Biden, who was chairing the Robert Bork confirmation hearings. My contribution to the epic battle was modest: I helped with research for a speech …

Discussion: The Reaction, Right Turn, National Review, Commentary Magazine, Overlawyered, Los Angeles Times and PointOfLaw Forum

Jeffrey Toobin / News Desk:
Postscript: Robert Bork, 1927-2012

Discussion: his vorpal sword, The BLT and American Prospect

Lee Enterprises / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Barber shop conversation in Wentzville about Connecticut shootings ends with shots fired at customer — • By Susan Weich sweich@post-dispatch.com 636-493-9674 — WENTZVILLE • A barber shop patron who fired three times at another customer discussing the Connecticut school shooting has been charged with three felonies.

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', Connecting.the.Dots and protein wisdom

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis:

National Income and Product Accounts — Gross Domestic Product: Third Quarter 2012 (third estimate); — Corporate Profits: Third Quarter 2012 (revised estimate) — Real gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States …

Discussion: DealBook and Hot Air